Cam tensioners.

Midlife flhrc said:

Ok
I know its a bit a dead horse. But im going to open up the cam cover to inspect. My 06 RoadKing has 20k on it and i hear some noise.

If I find wear its obvious i need to replace or up grade to gears. But right now i don't have the $ for the gears. About a $1000. In parts for cam kit , tappets, gaskets, fluids & filter and what else.

I think its in my budget to replace the stock tensioners with the same so i can finish the season with my butt on the bike and put the coin aside for the proper parts.

First ?
Is there any way to replace the tensioners with out popping the heads off or cutting the push rods and using adjustable rods.

Second ?
What parts should need for the stock replacement. What would any of you do? And why?


Third ?
What parts for a gear drive up grade and why?

Last ? What kind of $ am i really looking at for either way?

Thanks.


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Click to expand...

1.) Yes....you're only removing the rocker box cover and rocker arms and shaft. Not the whole head.

Can you do it without doing that? No.

2.) Primary and secondery tensioners, Gasket kit (Jims makes one including rocker gaskets and oil pump o-rings)

Tensioners: $ 67 each
Gasket kit: $48

I'd pull oil pump relief valve and clean and polish it, and polishing the chains doesn't hurt.

($ free)

Good time to add a Baisley 15% oil pump spring.

($13)

YOU ALSO want to remove and replace your inner cam bearings. ($15 a set)

That requires the puller and installer tools.

($150 off Ebay for both)

Gear drive will take new cams, and you have to have a minimum of 0.002"-0.003" of crank end play, or you can't do it.

With that, if you install gear drive cams, you need to add more fuel, which is a fuel adder for you, as XEIDs won't work on a 2006. You have no O2 sensors.

Fuel Adder- $200-350

You'll also have to inspect the oil pump internal body. If it has excessive wear, that's another $300.

chasarms said:

At minimum, it's noisy. But, it also stresses the bearings in the cam plate and the crank bearings themselves.

Click to expand...

Yep......It also prematurely wears the gears due to excessive lash. You can't run a constant lash, when one gear is moving back and forth on an uneven/true plane.

HD says up to 0.012" is acceptable on crank runout. That's insane. The used to bolt their crank pins into the flywheel, and now they're simply PRESSED with 80 tons of force.

They scissor.....

With chains, you can get away with that. There's flex room as the tensioners take up and allow chain slack to change.

With gears.....no can do.

As runout gets worse, It then wipes out the inside of the oil pump, as the oil pump drives off the end of the crank, farthest from the flywheels, where runout is highest.

As pump wears, oil psi drops.

Baisley spring is obtained via Baisley Hi-Performance Home Page

Almost 100% of HD oil pumps only have wear in one side. That's from the crank runout moving the gyros (affixed to crank end) to one side of the fixed oil pump body, due to crank runout.

So correct me if my understanding is flawed. Run out refers to an elliptical action at the end of a spinning shaft.
Causing and up and down motion that will bind wable a gear.

This is why there is wear on one side of the oil pump parts that is furthest away at the end of the shaft.

Ok got it.

Dave.
Will that oil pump spring help increase oil pressure at higher speeds. I seem to loose power on the highway when i have to pass some one. Almost like the lifters are loosing pressure and lifting as high.
Or is this normal at 70/80 mph.
Found it at there web site thanks.


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I do....but not the main cause.

If the crank has excessive runout, it'll show up more with premature oil pump failure.

Typical signs are:

1.) Starting engine, and it takes 6-10 seconds for engine oil light to go out.

2.) Low oil pressure thoughout rev ranges.

3.) excessive tappet noise.

My bike has 45K and has 80% of the tensioners left and they're original.

Over revving plays a part as does general abuse in the tensioner longevity.

Items that have been discredited are oil brand, syn vs dino and viscosity.

Although the runout is part of it, I gotta side with Chasarm's version on the chain "sharpness" due to MFGing methods.